WITHDEAN YEARS 2006/07 AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON SEAGULLS TV

The 2006/07 season saw Mark McGhee’s tenure as Brighton & Hove Albion manager come to an end, as Dean Wilkins took the reins in what turned out to be a season of transition for the Seagulls.

The summer transfer window saw striker Alex Revell arrive from Braintree Town and Tony Stokes from West Ham United on loan - but the emphasis was placed mainly on home-grown talent with the likes of Joel Lynch and Dean Cox featuring for the Albion.

The campaign started well for McGhee’s men – Revell notched on the opening day of the season against Rotherham United at Millmoor, before Gillingham were defeated on home soil three days later.

A home draw with Brentford followed at the Withdean, as Albion surrendered a two-goal lead, before a win over Boston United was sandwiched in-between defeats to Nottingham Forest and Crewe Alexandra.

A 1-0 loss at Bristol City at the start of September meant McGhee and his assistant Bob Booker were sacked from their positions.

Dean Wilkins picked up the reins as caretaker boss, and his first assignment was a game away to Millwall the following day. A red card for Richie Carpenter in the first half was followed by a late own goal for the hosts, which gave Wilkins a win in his first game in charge of the side.

Four points from the next two games had the Seagulls in good form, but a frustrating period followed with five losses in succession, the last being a televised defeat at home to Blackpool, who were at the time managed by Simon Grayson.

The side were then victorious away to an in-form Scunthorpe United side, before former defender Ian Chapman joined Wilkins’s coaching staff, as the side then went six games unbeaten in all competitions – including a 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town through a Jake Robinson hat-trick and an 8-0 thumping of Northwich Victoria in the FA Cup first round.

By the end of January, the side were still just three points above the drop zone, as Bas Savage was the newest arrival in the transfer window that month. He was instrumental in a 4-1 victory away to Leyton Orient in February to give the side a convincing victory and a vital result over the course of the campaign.

Two more wins followed over Nottingham Forest and Gillingham – Savage scoring the winner against the Gills

Eight points from the last 12 matches saw Wilkins’s young Seagulls side cement their place in the division for another year, as they secured safety with six games left to play.

Albion fans can watch the feature video on Seagulls TV now with a ‘Free Pass’ – and the 2007/08 season will also soon be available with the free option too.

The whole ‘Withdean Years’ is being released on Seagulls TV over the next month and to view the other parts, supporters will need to register for a full Seagulls TV pass which you can do by clicking here.